World Community Grid
Having looked for aliens in the past through SETI, I’ve had the school computers helping to solve (or dismiss wrong avenues) in various humanitarian and medical processes.
The results that have been achieved so far are given here:
That’s over 12 years worth of processing in just over six months.
Given that the school PC lab computers are on, they may as well be put to some humanitarian use, and it has no impact upon what students can do in their lessons. At the same time this is a clear example of grid computing and hence can be used in the lessons.
Marist College have a great explanation of how they use World Community Grid to help as part of thier Green initiative.
If you are interested in the World community Grid then here is a link to information about them.
Adobe Bridge CS4 via lynda.com
Click on the image to see my official certificate!
This one was about a programme I have used, but never very much, Adobe Bridge CS4. It is called Bridge CS4: 10 Things Designers Need to Know. I find in watching these tutorials that it is the shortcuts, and tips that you come away feeling you can best use. These are the things you know you want to know, but never have the time to really take in from a book and digest, especially in programmes such as Bridge which I use infrequently.
However here Ann-Marie Conception’s demonstration, whilst aimed at developers, could be used in a classroom setting. The number of times I have had students take digital photos from multiple cameras and mobiles and then tried to sort through them is numerous. Adobe Bridge CS4 allows for easy renaming, and grouping to collections. Adobe Bridge CS4 is a high-powered replacement to Windows Explorer (and Mac equivalent) in the main, and all its advanced features that put Widows Explorer to shame can be found in other high-powered photo packages I’m sure. However most schools buy a School License from Adobe, and Bridge comes as part of it.
I have also had students experiment with pdf portfolios, and using Bridge they can simply create pdfs from multiple pictures, or create a Web gallery (both of which I had tried before watching the tutorials), having first created their list of files into a collection for ease.
As I’m in the process of putting my home photos onto flickr the ease of using tags within Bridge means I may just do this now; before I always thought of such things as too much of a pian, especially when you have lots of photos to do.
Well done lynda.com and Ann-Marie for another great tutorial.
Here is a wordle image of the text in this blog post.
animation with Trumptonshire included
I just finished creating a series of lessons for Grade 6/Year 7 students using the free programme Pivot Stickfigure Animator.
Then, upon watching an episode of “Trumpton“, and subsequent interview with Gordon Murray, I realised that this would make an excellent introduction lesson starter to animation.
If students watched an episode and the interview as a starter they could then calculate how many frames where needed per episode (and then for the whole Trumptonshire trilogy).
Then, creating after creating a non-violent initial animation they will compare how many frames they had created to an episode of Trumpton, and therefore how many seconds of real film would be created.
So now I’ve written the lessons and uploaded them to the BIS edu2.0 VLE ready for use.
Which means I get to watch an episode in class, and re-live my dim and distant youth - ace!
Here is a wordle image of the text in this blog post.
Thanks … xtranormal; pcspecialist.co.uk; Sun Identity Management
Lots of thanks due today…
Had major problems with my students accessing the xtranormal website to create their movies. My Grade 5/Year 6 class were very disappointed at not being able to use it. I had them type up their scripts in a word processor instead. Having e-mailed xtranormal via their website, they responded within a couple of hours, apologizing for the delay and assuring me that the problems encountered had now been resolved. Given my students are using this programme for free, and love it, I felt that this response was great.
Second thanks is due to the team at pcspecialist.co.uk team. Ordered another custom laptop from them (an international order that they coped with even though they are really a UK only company), and they texted me to let me know it’s on its way as well as e-mailing me. Their excellent communication throughout the quick build process makes them worth getting another laptop for; especially when this one is for my wife!
And when I get home I find a couple of parcels from Sun Microsystems with my free gifts for doing so well playing their free Identity Hero ICT/network game. Great for student prizes in a network competition that I’ll run next term.
Typography via fonts
I’ve been creating a new font today.
Well I did the capitals anyway – it takes a while to create all 52 letters of our alphabet. This has been achieved, at no cost, though a great website called FontStruct. Given how good the website is, I will be able to fit it into a four lesson unit about typography with any KS3 ICT programme.
The likes of FontStruct help teachers in their explanation of what and why we use a style of typing (and writing) when we do, and students can actively create their own font. If their font is good enough then their peers will understand a message sent using it – one of the key fundamentals of communication.
Hope to have my own font created soon as a simplistic example for my students.
And this is my font (as yet unfinished):
Educational games
Whilst I do not play the games that are on games consoles I do occasionally play games via my laptop. A couple types that I have been playing recently are Color Infection 2, and then both Adobe Air Flip and/or Bejeweled Blitz (the latter 2 being of the same ilk).
Color Infection 2 is based upon the Box2D Physics engine, ported to add ActionScript 3 through to be Box2DFlashAS3. The game has 25 levels, each with a simple puzzle to solve, can one turn the yellow balls turn brown by coming into contact with another brown ball, whilst at the same time making sure the green balls stay green. Each level is a logic problem with a stepped procedure to ensure success. Working out the steps though can take many iterations, but then that’s the fun of the game; how long will it take to solve it!
Adobe Air Flip and Bejeweled Blitz (as played within Facebook) are games that require one to move tiles around a board to create lines of 3 or more of the same type of tile. Both are against the clock so there is the element of pressure involved, and it’s possible to compete against one’s friends.
Of course if one wants an ICT-style zap them game, then my favourite is Identity Hero from Sun Microsystems. Here one has 10 levels to complete, related to a topic of network identity management. Great for an end of term lesson with students. I did this with my lot and ended up getting some free mugs from Sun with the best monthly score which I can use as prizes.
These games are addictive, but in way that makes one think about problem-solving. I also find them fun as well, and much better value than paying for the games-console style games, given these three are all free online.
And my enjoyment is enhanced by listening to last.fm via g.ho.st.